


our path

by yuzukis



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Pokemon AU, Pokemon SwSh Spoilers, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21748993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuzukis/pseuds/yuzukis
Summary: New to Galar, Sayo meets a sly girl and a mischievous Pokemon.
Relationships: Hikawa Sayo/Imai Lisa
Comments: 11
Kudos: 92





	1. keep marching forward

Sayo didn’t know how long she spent in the Wild Area. She was new to Galar, only having flew in a few days prior. She had never seen anything similar to the Galar Wild Area back home in Sinnoh. The Wild Area was so large and had a lot of different Pokemon in each area, so she knew she had to stay and build up her team.

After hours of wandering around building her new team, she ended with a Rookidee, Dreepy, and just now, a Sizzlipede. She quickly returned her Empoleon back to its pokeball. As she was about to check her Pokedex, she felt something hit her hard on the head a few times. “Ow!” She yelled, dropping her pokeball.

Sayo rubbed her head and looked around, trying to find who or what hit her. She did a full 360 spin and didn’t see anyone else in the area. And she wasn’t close enough to a tree where something would fall on her. “Hmm.” Sayo sighed, turning to retrieve her Empoleon and newly caught Pokemon.

The pokeball containing Sizzlipede was sitting untouched, but Empoleon was nowhere to be found. “What the…” Sayo furrowed her eyebrows. They were both right in front of her!

She heard a tapping noise below to her right.

The pokeball her Empoleon was in, was being held by a small yellow Pokemon with different colored fur on each side. It was staring at the pokeball intensely, before repeatedly tapping on it again.

“Okay little one…” Sayo crouched down, careful not to scare it away. “That’s mine so if you could just…”

Sayo stepped closer to the Pokemon. It noticed.

The Pokemon looked up at her for a second, before darting off with her pokeball. “Hey!”

Sayo quickly scooped up Sizzlipede and ran after it. She couldn’t leave her Empoleon behind. It was her first Pokemon and her most trusted.

The Pokemon ran to a nearby tree and climbed up it. Sayo gritted her teeth, stopping at the bottom. “Come down!” She yelled at it. The Pokemon merely stuck its tongue out at her.

Sayo scoffed, reaching for one of her pokeballs. She pulled out one and threw it up into the air. Rookidee appeared from it. “Get the pokeball from that Pokemon please.”

Rookidee chirped in response, flying up the where the little criminal was hiding. Sayo could see her Rookidee pecking at the other Pokemon until it charged and released a spark of lightning, hitting and knocking out her Rookidee.

Sayo caught Rookidee before it could impact the ground. “Get some rest.” She said as she returned it back to it’s pokeball. She couldn’t send out Dreepy, it was fainted from when she caught it. As for her Sizzlipede, it wouldn’t be of any help, because of the possible fire it could cause.

So Sayo had no choice but to climb it herself. There was no way she was going to leave Empoleon behind. She grabbed onto the trunk of the tree, throwing her legs around it and slowly started climbing upwards. There was barely any place for her to grab on to, so she had to keep shimmying up the tree. She tried to grab onto any part that was sticking out, but felt her legs losing grip. She dug her nails into the bark but was unable to grab on. She fell.

“Aaaah!” Sayo yelled as she fell from the tree. She braced herself for the inevitable impact.

The impact was strangely soft. She opened her eyes, looking up at the tree and that thief of a pokemon. She heard a “baa” and sat straight up. She landed on a Wooloo.

The Wooloo quickly kicked Sayo off of it after her realization. “Ow.”

“Good job, Wooloo!” A new voice said. She turned to the owner of the voice. It was another girl, smiling at her. She had long brown hair with highlights, tied up in a ponytail. “What are you doing?”

“I’m uh,” Sayo stood up and dusted herself off. “I’m trying to get back my pokeball from that thief.” Sayo pointed upwards and the other girl’s eyes followed. “Thanks for saving me from that fall. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get that little thief.”

“Huuh.” The other girl whistled, looking up at the Pokemon in the tree. “I’ve never seen that Pokemon before.” She pulled out her Pokedex, holding it up. Sayo watched as the other girl’s eyes moved fast to read her Pokedex. “It’s called Morpeko! How cute!”

“It’s not cute at all.” Sayo crossed her arms. “It’s a thief.”

“Maybe it’s weak.” The other girl pulled out a pokeball and pulled her arm back to throw. She launched it at the Morpeko who smacked it away, hitting Sayo on the head.

“Ow!” Sayo yelped, rubbing her injury.

“Sorry!” The other girl rushed over, placing a hand on Sayo’s arm.

“It’s fine.” Sayo sighed, eyeing the other girl’s hand on her arm. The other girl seemed to notice and pulled her hand away.

“O-Oh! Sorry, sorry.” She awkwardly laughed and turned away. Sayo couldn’t help but notice the tips of her ears turning red.

The Morpeko in the tree laughed and held the pokeball up, teasing Sayo. She scoffed in response.

“Well, I don’t really have anything to help you with other than this Wooloo. If you wanna keep trying to climb it, that is.”

Sayo placed her hands on the tree, grabbing at the bark. She threw her legs around the tree once more, and began climbing again. She was slow, but she was getting higher. Morpeko noticed and spit seeds at her forehead. Sayo clenched her teeth as she took the hits. “You little-!”

“Aah! There’s Yukina!” The girl below yelled. It caught Sayo off guard. “Good luck trying to get your stuff back! I’m sorry I couldn’t help more!” Sayo could hear the other girl’s footsteps, presumably getting farther away from her. “Yukina! Wait up!”

“Huh?” Sayo turned her head, which caused her to _almost_ lose her grip on the tree. “Aah!”

Morpeko took this chance to hit Sayo again in the forehead, causing her to let go of the tree. With a loud thud, Sayo landed on her back. She groaned as Morpeko spit another seed at her feet.

* * *

Sayo had been sitting and staring at the tree for hours. Climbing it wasn’t doing any good and neither was throwing pokeballs, so she decided to sit and wait it out.

“You’re still here?!”

Sayo turned to the familiar voice. The girl from earlier had returned, looking a little less cheerful.

“I am.” Sayo replied, turning to look back up at Morpeko, who was chewing on seeds.

“Wow…” She turned to Sayo, “Want some company?”

“What I would like is for my Pokemon to be returned to me.”

They remained in silence for a few minutes. Sayo didn’t care much about the silence, she just wanted Empoleon back. It was her fault for being so weak, if she didn’t drop it then none of this would’ve happened.

“...It’s getting kind of late. I’m gonna start setting up camp.” The other girl spoke up.

“Here?”

“Well, I mean you don’t look like you’re going anywhere anytime soon. I can’t just leave you alone here.”

“You could. I’m just a stranger after all.” Sayo turned to face her. A smile grew on the other girl’s face as she stepped closer to Sayo.

“Aw. You’re one of those.” 

“One of what?” Sayo raised her eyebrows. She was truly confused. What does that even mean?

The other girl didn’t reply. She stepped back and let out her Pokemon. “Come! Let’s set up camp with our friend here.” The other girl had a Galarian Ponyta, Applin, and the Wooloo from earlier.

As the other girl started setting up her tent, Sayo looked at Morpeko once more. It was watching her intently. Sayo sighed, taking out her own tent.

This was going to take a while.

* * *

“There.” Sayo rubbed her hands together near the fire she just started.

“That was fast.” The other girl said, throwing a few branches in the fire. “Do you camp often?”

“Sometimes.” Sayo replied, glancing at the Morpeko in the tree. It was still there in the same spot. She would get Empoleon back soon. She had to.

“Hey.” The other girl caught Sayo’s attention. “You never told me your name.”

“You never told me yours either.”

  
  
“But I saved you from that nasty fall earlier!”

“That’s...true.” Sayo twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Sayo. Sayo Hikawa.”

“Sayo...That’s a pretty name! I’m Lisa Imai.” She said, reaching into her bag. Sayo looked away for a second, unsure whether to reply to the compliment or not. Thankfully, Lisa spoke up before she could decide. “Do you like curry, Sayo?”

“Curry is good.”

“Alright, that’s what we’re having for dinner everyone!” Lisa waved over her Pokemon. “Sayo, bring out your Pokemon.”

Sayo nodded, letting out her Rookidee, Dreepy, and Sizzlipede. Each one of them looked exhausted. “Go ahead and relax. I’m going to help Imai-san with dinner.”

“Alright.” Lisa said, bringing out her ingredients. Sayo watched as she dumped in meat, potatoes and a number of different vegetables. Sayo’s eyes widened, as she watched Lisa dump carrots into the mix. She swallowed nervously. It was too late to speak up. “Do you have any berries we could add in?”

“H-Huh?” Sayo said, startled. Lisa blinked at her and tilted her head. “Oh, berries. I’m sure I have some in my bag.”

With the help of Lisa, they started cooking in no time. Sayo started fanning the fire to make the flame bigger. “So, Sayo.” Lisa said, glancing at her as she helped fan the fire. “Where are you from? Here?”

“I’m from Sinnoh.”

“Wow, I’ve never been there. I hear it’s really cold there. No wonder why you know how to make such a good fire!” She smiled, and grabbed a ladle. “I’m from Unova. So we both came pretty far…”

Sayo watched as Lisa mixed the curry. Something about the other girl reminded her of Tsugumi back home. She somehow always ran into the younger girl, who always made sure Sayo was taking care of herself on her journey. Thinking back, Sayo realized she took that for granted. She hoped Tsugumi was doing okay, wherever she set off to after Sayo left Sinnoh.

“Are you here for the gym challenge?” Lisa grinned at her. Sayo didn’t even realize she had been staring for so long. And Lisa caught her. Sayo looked away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Y-Yes…” Sayo replied. She fumbled with the end of her jacket, feeling embarrassed for such a silly thing.

She heard Lisa mutter something under her breath. Sayo turned to see what the other girl was up to. “Sayo~ Say aah!” Lisa brought a spoonful of curry over to Sayo’s side and tried to feed it to her, like a mother to her child.

“A-Aah!?” Sayo raised her eyebrows, leaning back. Lisa chuckled as she watched Sayo’s face turn bright red.

“C’mon, don’t be afraid~”

“I-Imai-san..!”

Sayo’s Pokemon ran over, saving her from Lisa’s incredibly childish gesture. Rookidee jumped on Sayo’s lap, while Dreepy and Sizzlipede stood at her side. Lisa’s own Pokemon joined their trainer, and they all seemed excited to eat. Instead of spoon feeding Sayo, Lisa just gave Sayo the spoon and winked before walking away to prepare portions for her own Pokemon.

After all of that, Sayo finally tasted the curry. It was definitely better than anything she could ever make. The meat was tender and all of it’s other components were cooked properly. It had such a rich taste, it reminded her of her mother’s cooking. She couldn’t wait for more, and apparently it showed because Lisa giggled and handed Sayo her plate. Her eyes lit up for the first time that day, and she looked at the angel in front of her, “Thank you for the meal.”

* * *

They sat together near the fire, with the rest of their Pokemon. Everyone was enjoying Lisa’s cooking, as Sayo kept an eye on Morpeko whilst eating her food. Sooner or later it had to come down. “Soo, did you come here alone? From Sinnoh?” Lisa asked, scooping curry into her mouth.

“Yes.”

“Isn’t it lonely?”

“Not really.” Sayo took a sip from her juice. “I prefer being alone.”

The only sound to be heard was Lisa loudly sipping her juice. “Oh.”

Sayo internally cursed at herself. This nice girl just made dinner for her and Sayo basically told her she didn’t want her company. “I-I mean. Being with someone like this every once in a while is nice too. I appreciate you being here for me. A total stranger.” Sayo ducked her head down in embarrassment.

“C’mon, we’re friends now!” Lisa laughed, “Don’t get embarrassed!” Sayo swallowed and tried to focus on eating her dinner. Lisa sighed, “I came here with someone actually.” Sayo looked up, watching as Lisa stared up at the night sky. Lisa glanced at Sayo to check if she was still listening before continuing. “My best friend. She didn’t even tell me she was coming to Galar. That Yukina...Always leaving me behind.”

“...Is she here for the gym challenge?”

“Yeah.” Lisa replied, nodding her head. She sighed again, “Maybe I’ll join too..?”

Rustling could be heard above them. Sayo lowered her plate and stood up. She could see the Morpeko hiding behind the tree trunk, staring at the two of them. It seemed to be sniffing the air, most likely smelling Lisa’s cooking.

Before Sayo could do anything, Lisa had already made a small plate and slowly walked toward the Pokemon. It seemed spooked by her actions, changing from yellow to purple and holding a mean expression. Lisa placed the plate a few feet away from the tree, before returning to Sayo’s side. “I think it will come to eat if we give it space.” Lisa said, glancing at Sayo. Sayo nodded.

So the two of them continued eating together, making small conversation. Sayo made sure to glance at Morpeko every minute to make sure it hadn’t run off to another area with Empoleon. “Our Pokemon won’t let it out of their sight. We’ll get Empoleon back.” Lisa said, placing a hand on Sayo’s shoulder. Sayo simply nodded at Lisa’s gesture, before glancing at Morpeko again.

Finally after a few minutes, Morpeko slowly inched over to the plate and began eating. Empoleon’s pokeball was placed right next to it on the ground. “Aw…” Lisa muttered, watching as Morpeko happily ate her cooking. It switched from it’s “Hangry” mode to it’s “Full Belly” mode, as told by the Pokedex. 

Sayo decided to let it enjoy the food. Going to get the pokeball now would be meaningless, since Morpeko was a fast Pokemon. It would take off the moment Sayo stood up. “You made a good call, Imai-san.” Sayo spoke up, finally turning her full attention to Lisa.

“I just had a feeling it could be swayed by food.” Lisa shrugged and leaned back on her Wooloo with a satisfied sigh.

“Your cooking is really delicious. I’m...honored you decided to invite me to eat dinner with you, Imai-san.”

“Honored?” Lisa laughed, smiling at Sayo. “You don’t have to be so formal with me! Just call me Lisa.”

“I-I couldn’t…” Sayo sheepishly looked off to the side. “But really, your cooking is excellent. Thank you.”

Lisa nudged at Sayo’s knee, and she pointed at Morpeko. It was squeaking happily as it finished the rest of it’s portion. “Hey! Morpeko!” Lisa called out to it. It looked at her curiously, grabbing at Empoleon’s pokeball. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Do you want to come over here and have some more? We have plenty.”

All of their Pokemon walked over to Morpeko, who looked hesitant to approach. They all seemed to be talking to it, showing it that there was nothing to be afraid of. Sayo’s Rookidee flew over to Morpeko’s side, motioning for it to follow.

Morpeko nodded and slowly walked over to Sayo and Lisa. They both stood up, and Morpeko stopped and stared at Sayo. “I believe you have something of mine.” Sayo said, kneeling down. “I just want my Empoleon back. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

Sayo held out her hand for Morpeko to place the pokeball in. It looked down at the pokeball and gently placed it in Sayo’s hand. It nodded at Sayo and Sayo brought it to her chest. “Thank you.”

She would’ve never guessed that to get her Empoleon back from Morpeko, she would just have to feed it.

* * *

Morpeko stayed to play around with all the other Pokemon. Since being returned, Empoleon was out of its ball playing with Sayo’s new Pokemon. They were all getting along with each other, much to Sayo’s liking. While that was happening, she was on her second plate of curry.

“Sayo, you didn’t eat your carrots!” Lisa pointed out, scooting closer to her.

“A-Ah, well.” Sayo cleared her throat, trying to avoid eye contact. Her cheeks burned as she picked at the carrots on her plate. “Empoleon eats them for me…”

As if on cue, Empoleon walked over and Sayo offered her carrots. It quickly ate the carrots on her plate, giving a satisfied nod to Lisa and Sayo. Next to her, Sayo heard Lisa’s “Pfft!” before she started laughing out loud.

“D-Don’t laugh..!” Sayo crossed her arms and avoided Lisa’s gaze. She glanced over at all the playing Pokemon to find Morpeko running over to Empoleon. She watched as Morpeko squeaked at it. Empoleon merely grunted and turned it’s back to Morpeko. It looked deflated at that. Sayo snickered and motioned for Morpeko to come over.

It tilted its head in confusion, but it walked over to Sayo. She reached out to pet it’s head, “It’s okay. Empoleon is like that a lot.”

“No fair Sayo,” Lisa picked Morpeko up and held it in her arms. “You’re just so cute~ Will you join my team?”

Morpeko spit a seed at her and jumped out of Lisa’s grasp. It then hid behind Sayo. “Ow!”

“I don’t think it liked that.” Sayo said, standing to check Lisa’s injury on her forehead. There was a pink circle in the middle of her forehead.

“It’s sore!” Lisa exclaimed.

“And it’s pink. You should ice it and turn in for the night.” Sayo poked at the circle, causing Lisa to wince.

“O-Okay…” Lisa turned to all of her Pokemon. “Everyone, we should get to bed. Sayo said so.”

They all made noises of disappointment. Sayo flinched at that and she quickly turned to face the Pokemon, “I’m sorry to burst your bubble but the Gym Challenge starts tomorrow. We need to make sure we don’t lose.”

“Sayo’s right.” Lisa stretched her arms upwards and yawned. “C’mon everyone, let’s get some sleep.” Her Pokemon followed her to her red tent, while Sayo’s own Pokemon went to her blue tent. “Good night, Sayo!”

“Good night, Imai-san.” Sayo nodded to her as she entered her tent. She then turned to the Morpeko, who was watching her intently. “I’m going to bed too. You can stay around if you like but we’re all leaving in the morning.”

Morpeko simply nodded and ran toward the tall grass, stopping to wave at Sayo before disappearing into the grass. It was gone, just like that.

* * *

The Opening Ceremony of the Gym Challenge was nothing like Sayo had never experienced before. From the few regions she had traveled to, they had never broadcast their gym challenges like this. This could definitely mean Hina would be watching her back home.

After the ceremony, Lisa claimed she had shops she wanted to look around in so she left Sayo to her own devices. She had enjoyed the company Lisa gave her, but after she left she remembered why she was here in Galar. She came here to win.

So before leaving for Turffield, Sayo wanted to train her team up just a bit so she went back to the Wild Area. The Wild Area was expansive and harbored many different pokemon. She decided to see if she could catch one more Pokemon before the hour was over.

There were many parts of the Wild Area that Sayo hadn’t explored. A local told her that in some areas even the weather is different, and had unique Pokemon. She unfortunately had to save those areas for later, since she had to leave for Turffield soon.

Sayo heard a Pokemon cry in the distance. She had never heard a cry like that before so she headed in it’s direction. Whatever it was, sounded strong. She picked up her pace, hoping she would be the first to the area before any other trainer could catch it.

After running around a huge rock, Sayo witnessed the Morpeko from the previous day, fighting some sort of dragon Pokemon. It shot out little Dreepys like a missile launcher. Sayo brought out her Pokedex to scan the new Pokemon. 

It was called a Dragapult, which was the last evolution of Dreepy. So either way, Sayo would have a Dragapult. She silently cheered, but stopped once she watched the Morpeko get hit by a small Dreepy. It was clearly outmatched, seeing as it had sustained more injuries than the Dragapult. She couldn’t bear to watch it struggle any longer, so she took action.

“Empoleon, use Aqua Jet!”

Empoleon successfully landed a hit on the wild Dragapult. It flew back and shook its head. It turned to Empoleon and huffed. Empoleon stood its ground, waiting for Sayo’s next order. But before Sayo could even say anything, the Dragapult took in its surroundings and fled.

“Damn.” Sayo sighed, watching as the Dragapult fled. Sayo turned her attention to Morpeko, who was patting the dust off itself.

It made eye contact with Sayo. Many scratches were visible to Sayo as it looked up at her. It nodded at her, before walking away. “Wait.” Sayo called out, grabbing Morpeko’s attention. She pulled out a potion from her bag, and kneeled down. “Come here. You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

The Morpeko hesitated. It looked back toward the tall grass and back at Sayo. Sayo waited patiently.

The Morpeko switched to hangry form and shot bullet seeds at her, and she quickly covered her face with her arm. A few seeds hit her arm and face before Empoleon could shield her. Empoleon huffed and stepped toward Morpeko. “No! Empoleon it’s alright.”

Empoleon turned back and nodded, taking its place at Sayo’s side. “Don’t be stubborn. Let’s get you healed up. I won’t be around to help if that Dragapult comes back again.”

Morpeko frowned at her before switching back to Full Belly mode. It slowly walked over to Sayo. “It’ll sting, but it will help you. I promise.”

Morpeko squeaked in response, which Sayo could only take as a yes. She sprayed Morpeko with the potion in all of the spots with scratches and bruises. Morpeko winced and changed to Hangry mode just to frown at Sayo. “Sorry. You’ll feel better in a moment.”

Now in Full Belly mode, Morpeko was fully healed. It took out a seed and chewed on it, squeaking in appreciation. Sayo patted it’s head before taking out an oran berry. “Here. I’m not sure if you like this, but take it. Just incase.”

Morpeko stared at the berry Sayo placed on the ground. “Take care.” She stood up and turned around. Her watch beeped, meaning it was time to go and start her gym challenge. “Ready, Empoleon?”

Empoleon nodded, and the two started for the Motostoke entrance.

* * *

They stopped at a Pokemon Center before heading to Route 3. Sayo stocked up on pokeballs and potions. She heard that in order to get to Turrfield, she needed to get through the Galar Mine, so she wanted to be prepared for it.

Sayo exited the Pokemon Center with Empoleon at her side. She brought out it’s pokeball and turned to it. “You can rest now, Empoleon. I’d like to walk around on my own.” Sayo returned Empoleon to its pokeball. She secured all her pokeballs on her belt and tightened her bag straps. Sayo began to leave the city limits when she heard a familiar squeak. She stopped in her tracks and turned around. The Morpeko from earlier came running at her full speed. “You’re…”

It stopped in front of her and squeaked again. Morpeko gave Sayo a determined look, before chewing on another seed. It ran ahead of her and turned around, pointing at the Route 3 sign.

“You want to go with me?”

Morpeko nodded in response. It ran a little farther ahead, turning back to Sayo for her to follow. Sayo let a smile form on her face. “...Alright. You can keep me company for a short while. But I’m not here to play games with you.”

Morpeko simply nodded and smiled at her. She knew having Morpeko around wouldn’t be the quiet she hoped for. Perhaps it would be a good change of pace, even if it was only for a short while. Then again, a “good change of pace” was the last thing her sister said to her before she left Sinnoh. Together, the pair started for Turffield.

* * *

She was certain the Pokemon would lose interest after she left to defeat the first gym leader, but she was wrong. It was waiting for her right outside the stadium once she completed her battle. “Still coming? You’re pretty far away from your home you know.”

Morpeko shrugged and took out a seed from it’s pocket.

“I suppose you’re only here for the show then. What do you hope to gain from following me, little one-”

Something impacting the side of her face stopped her from completing her sentence. “Ouch…” She said, rubbing where she was hit. A pokeball fell at her feet. Sayo turned to look at the perpetrator.

Lisa looked the least apologetic.

“Imai-san…” Sayo muttered, grabbing the pokeball on the ground. Lisa walked over with her hands behind her back, grinning at Sayo. “You have terrible aim. You weren’t even close to Morpeko.”

Lisa merely shrugged, taking the pokeball from Sayo’s hand making sure to brush their hands together as much as she could. “Maybe I wasn’t aiming for Morpeko.”

“Then what-”

“So are you going in to battle Milo?”

“Well, I just did.” Sayo replied, showing Lisa her first badge.

“Already? Sayo you move so fast! I knew I should’ve left earlier…” Lisa shook her head. She turned to Morpeko. Morpeko hid behind one of Sayo’s legs. “So you caught the Morpeko from before?”

“It’s keeps following me but it’s not mine. As long as it doesn’t steal any of my belongings again I’m fine with it.”

“Sayo...I think it wants to join your team. I mean, look at it. It’s hiding behind you because it’s scared of me!”

“I’m sure anyone would be scared of you after being squeezed like that.”

“H-Hey! I did _not_ squeeze it!” Lisa playfully hit Sayo’s arm. She kneeled down, looking at Morpeko. “I’m sorry about before. You’re just really cute! Can you forgive me?”

Lisa held out a hand for Morpeko to take. It took a few seconds for a reaction, but Morpeko slowly walked in front of Sayo to place it’s own hand on top of Lisa’s. Morpeko squeaked in response. “Yes!” Lisa petted it.

“Perhaps Morpeko would like to join your team.” Sayo crossed her arms, looking at the two. “Morpeko would have more fun with you, Imai-san.”

At that moment, Morpeko gave Sayo a panicked look. It squeaked at her and pulled at her pants, shaking its head.

“You see Sayo? Morpeko likes you!”

Sayo looked down at the Pokemon. Morpeko seemed to have loyalty to Sayo, despite not actually being her Pokemon. It was quite formidable too, as it held its own on the way to Turffield from Motostoke. She held her chin and hummed.

“Morpeko. Come with me to Hulbury. I want to see how strong you are.”

* * *

Sayo decided to get a few practice rounds with Morpeko in. She wasn’t quite familiar with it’s moveset, so they battled the wild Pokemon outside of Hulbury.

“Here.” Sayo said, kneeling down and handing Morpeko an oran berry. It happily ate the berry, feeling energized enough to fight another battle. “Ready?”

Morpeko nodded and they walked around the tall grass again. This time, a Galarian Meowth quickly approached the pair. Sayo quickly gave Morpeko orders, “Use bite!”

It instead, dodged the Meowth’s attack. “Morpeko, use bite!” It ignored her orders again. Sayo narrowed her eyebrows at the small Pokemon.

It glanced at Sayo before charging up some electricity. It began running in a stationary position and some sort of hamster wheel formed around it so it looked like it was running on one. Sayo watched as Morpeko unleashed the attack that looked like a runaway hamster wheel. It instantly knocked out the wild Meowth they were battling. She had never seen anything like it. Morpeko ran from side to side, getting faster within seconds. “What was that?” She asked Morpeko, who was now switched to Hangry mode. She pulled out her Pokedex, searching Morpeko’s move list until she came across one move called “Aura Wheel.”

It turns out it was one of Morpeko’s strongest attacks, and a move only Morpeko could learn. It could do some real damage as well as boosting it’s speed. She couldn’t wait to use it against Nessa.

Sayo felt an object hit the side of her head, “Ow!”

A pokeball dropped near her feet. A familiar sight.

Sayo turned to the direction of her attacker, and made eye contact with Lisa. She hid her mouth behind her hand and giggled. Sayo frowned at her, “Imai-san…”

“Sorry sorry!” Lisa waved her hand as she got closer to Sayo. “You just looked so concentrated I wasn’t sure if throwing it at you would do anything.”

“It did.”

“I’m sorry~ Let me treat you to a meal in Hulbury.”

“It’s alright. We’re about to head to the Gym.” Sayo replied, fixing her bag’s strap.

“Already? I practically ran here from Turrfield to catch up!” Lisa wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“You should really take a break. You look exhausted.”

“No, I’m okay.” Lisa shook her head. “I wanted to see your battle against Nessa, since I didn’t get to see Milo’s.”

“Oh.” Sayo raised an eyebrow. “Alright. Let’s get going then, Morpeko.”

“Eh? But didn’t you also just come from a gym battle? You should rest!”

“That’s why we’re heading to the Pokemon Center.”

“I meant you! You need rest too, Sayo!”

“Afterwards. Come, Morpeko. We have work to do.”

  
  
“Sayooo!”


	2. walk on towards the path you seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galar harbors many different people, but why must Sayo run into the weird ones?

In the locker room, Sayo sat down on the bench and observed the battle on tv. It was between Nessa and a girl named Yukina. They were both Dynamaxed, but Yukina practically swept Nessa’s team with her Shiny Roselia. Yukina was announced as the winner and the announcers became visible on the screen. Sayo noticed Lisa watching intently.

“She’s so strong…”

Sayo turned to Morpeko, who was also sitting on the bench with them. “You’ll have to get into a pokeball.”

It shook its head and quickly switched from Full Belly to Hangry.

“I’m sorry but I can’t let you out until it’s time to battle.”

It shook its head again and spit a seed at her cheek.

“Ow! Morpeko…!”

“What a shame. You have such a serious aura around you, yet you have a Pokemon that refuses to listen to you.” An unfamiliar voice spoke behind Sayo. Yukina, the girl from the previous match, stood at the alleyway with her Shiny Roselia at her side.

“Y-Yukina!” Lisa yelled, standing from the bench.

“I don’t remember asking for your opinion.” Sayo stood with Morpeko at her own side. Whoever this girl was, Sayo wanted to prove her wrong with a battle.

“Now now, let’s all get along.” Lisa stood in the middle of them, shaking her hands. “Yukina, this is my friend Sayo. Sayo, this is my friend Yukina.”

Yukina glared at Sayo before turning her full attention to Lisa. “I didn’t know you joined the gym challenge.”

“Well...The Endorsement you got also includes me!”

“...I see.”

Before Sayo could say anything, one of the league staff appeared from the alleyway. “Challenger Sayo?” Sayo walked forward. “You may enter and begin your Gym Mission. Nessa will be ready for you if you complete it.”

Sayo nodded and turned to Morpeko. “Only for a little bit alright? I promise.” She held out a pokeball in her hand and waited until Morpeko gave her anything symbolizing an OK. It tapped on the pokeball and nodded.

“Good luck Sayo!” Lisa smiled at her. Next to her, Yukina’s face remained unchanged. It ignited a fire in Sayo’s heart. She would show Yukina that she was wrong.

Sayo nodded at Lisa, but turned to Yukina. “Watch and learn.”

* * *

Sayo defeated Nessa’s first Pokemon, at the expense of her Rookidee. She returned it to its pokeball. “Good work.” She said, hand hovering over Morpeko’s pokeball. Across from her, Nessa threw out an Arrokuda.

Sayo threw out Morpeko, who squeaked at their opponents. She wasted no time moving to attack, “Use bullet seed!”

The first two seeds hit Arrokuda, while the other three missed. Sayo scoffed and clenched her fist.

“Arrokuda, use Liquidation!”

Morpeko was suddenly blasted with water at full force. Sayo braced herself for the aftermath. Her and Morpeko shook off the water and stood their ground. Morpeko glanced back at her and nodded. It changed to Hangry mode.

“Use Aura Wheel!” The hamster wheel-like attack successfully launched at Arrokuda, knocking it out. “Alright, keep going Morpeko!”

Across from her, Nessa shook her head as she returned Arrokuda. “Looks like I’m down to one last Pokemon.” She threw out a Drednaw, “I saved the best for last!”

Morpeko switched back to Full Belly. The two Pokemon sized each other up. If this battle was anything like Milo’s, then she had to Dynamax now. Otherwise her and Morpeko would get trampled on by a Dynamaxed Drednaw.

Sayo gripped the Pokeball and returned Morpeko, feeling energy coarse through her Dynamax Band. The Pokeball got bigger, and Sayo threw it behind her with two hands. Morpeko popped out again, this time letting out a deep yell. The wind picked up and she stood her ground. All around her the crowd began to roar. Sayo turned to Nessa, who also returned her Drednaw and effortlessly threw it behind her.

The crowd began to chant in a rhythm, and Nessa smirked at her. “Distracted?” She yelled out. “Drednaw, use Max Geyser!”

It began charging water from it’s mouth and aimed the attack at Morpeko.

“Damn it...!” Sayo braced herself. True, she wasn’t quite used to the gym atmosphere in Galar, but she had to get used to it quickly. She couldn’t afford to lose to Nessa, especially if it was televised. The attack hit Morpeko, who grunted but withstood the attack. Rain quickly fell upon the battlefield.

She wasted no time attacking, “Morpeko, use Max Lightning!”

It charged up and sent lightning flying over to Drednaw. It let out a low pitched grunt, appearing hurt from Morpeko’s attack.

“Use Max Geyser again!”

The opposing Drednaw’s charge up was sloppy and wasn’t as strong as the previous attack. Morpeko withstood the attack once more, and Sayo pointed at Drednaw.

“Max lightning again!”

Morpeko’s attack successfully landed on Drednaw, and the entire stadium shook from the explosion. Drednaw went back to it’s normal size, fainted. Nessa looked disgusted at the fact that she lost.

All around her, the crowd cheered. Morpeko jumped up and down, smiling at Sayo and chewing on a seed. Her lips curved up slightly and she nodded in approval. Maybe Morpeko would prove as a valuable Pokemon to add to her team.

* * *

“You and Morpeko did amazing!” Lisa hugged her when she returned to the locker room. Sayo awkwardly caught Lisa in her arms.

“Thank you...” Sayo replied, feeling weird about this girl in her arms. Lisa quickly let go and gave her attention to Morpeko. She picked it up and lifted it into the air. 

“You did well!” It squeaked and actually let Lisa hold it. Perhaps it felt good about winning that it didn’t care if Lisa held it. The sight made Sayo smile a bit.

“Challenger Lisa? You can start your Gym Mission.”

“Oh! It’s time for me to go.” Lisa placed Morpeko in Sayo’s hands. She turned to Yukina, “Will you watch?”

Yukina who was sat in the corner, nodded in response. Lisa nodded to herself before turning back to Sayo. “Wish me luck~” She winked.

“G-Good luck.” Sayo said, with her throat suddenly becoming dry. Lisa waved and left the locker room. Sayo shook whatever that was off and went to change out of her jersey.

* * *

After changing back into her regular clothes, Sayo sat down next to Morpeko who was waiting for her. “You did well, Morpeko.”

It smiled and pulled out a seed to chew on. Sayo leaned back, watching as Lisa battled Nessa. She didn’t know much about Lisa, other than her being really friendly and a great cook. She had no idea what the other girl was truly capable of.

Sayo heard shuffling to her right. She turned her head, watching as Yukina approached her. “You’re strong.” Is the first thing she says. “I apologize for my rudeness earlier.” She bowed.

Sayo stood up to do the same, “...I apologize as well.” They both stood up straight and Sayo was the first to speak. “I never had the chance to formally introduce myself. I’m Sayo Hikawa.”

“Yukina Minato.” She replied, motioning next to Morpeko. “May I sit?” Sayo nodded, and Morpeko moved closer to Sayo as they both sat down.

On the screen, Lisa sent out her Applin while Nessa sent out her Goldeen. “So you’re the friend Imai-san was talking about.” Sayo said, keeping her eyes on the battle.

“...We’ve been friends for many years but I didn’t think she would follow me to Galar.”

“I see…” Sayo glanced at Yukina before returning back to the screen. She felt she was about to hear some unwanted lore, so Sayo decided not to ask anymore questions about the two.

On screen, Lisa’s Applin used Rollout. It tackled the Goldeen a few times and missed several times. Goldeen answered back with a Horn Attack. Applin couldn’t dodge in time and was knocked back a few feet. Lisa yelled a few words of encouragement at it, but Applin fainted a few seconds after.

* * *

Lisa lost to Nessa on both of their last Pokemon. Sayo let out a breath. Lisa wasn’t someone Sayo needed to worry about. Yukina however, would perhaps be someone standing in her way during the Champion Cup. She made a mental note to keep track of Yukina’s team throughout the rest of their Gym Challenge. She glanced down at Morpeko who worriedly looked at Lisa on screen.

Yukina stood up, preparing to leave. “Where are you going?” Sayo asked.

Yukina turned back, “Heading to the 3rd gym.”

“You’re not going to even wait for Imai-san?” Sayo stood up, approaching Yukina. She didn’t have a reaction at the mention of Lisa.

“I shouldn’t stay here any longer.” Yukina’s face remained unchanged.

Sayo was truly surprised at that reply. The way Lisa talked about Yukina, she clearly cared for the other girl. But now she could see how Yukina was always “leaving Lisa behind.”

“...I don’t know Imai-san very well. But I do know that she cares a lot about you. You should stay. She might need you.”

Yukina looked down at her Roselia, who nodded as well. She closed her eyes and nodded, taking her seat on the bench. Sayo joined Yukina on the bench. Lisa was kind to Sayo when Morpeko stole her Empoleon. Waiting for her after her loss was the least Sayo could do.

Lisa entered the locker room shortly after, looking exhausted. After noticing both Sayo and Yukina waiting, she perked up. “You guys waited for me?” She asked, clearly surprised.

“Of course.” Yukina replied, glancing at Sayo and back at Lisa.

“You’ll get her next time, Imai-san.” Sayo nodded.

“Oh that?” Lisa laughed and sat down next to Yukina. “I’m not worried! I’ll just try again tomorrow. I’m kinda tired~”

Yukina looked down at her lap and back at Lisa. Sayo felt the mood shift significantly and decided she leave the two childhood friends alone. “I should be leaving. I’ll see you around.” Sayo said without turning back. Morpeko followed at her side and the two left the gym together.

Outside the gym, Sayo glanced down at her new water badge. She was really proud of how her and Morpeko were able to win against Nessa. Dynamaxed Morpeko was really strong, being able to pull through and withstand Drednaw’s rock type moves. They would definitely need to train some more so Morpeko could learn to counter some moves, but for now it was enough.

Without even realizing it, Sayo had walked toward the lighthouse. Morpeko climbed near the fences and squeaked at Sayo, pointing at the sunset.

It was beautiful. The clouds in the sky looked like cotton candy. The water went as far as the eye could see and the sea shimmered in the glow of the sunset. It reminded her of how far her home was, and how far she had come since starting her Pokemon journey.

“I came to Galar to get stronger. If I can become Galar’s new champion, then maybe...maybe I’d finally be strong enough to go back home to face my sister. I failed in Johto, Kanto...Hoenn. But perhaps I won’t fail now.” She looked down at Morpeko. It looked completely focused on Sayo. “Morpeko. How would you like to join my team?” Sayo asked.

Morpeko smiled, jumping up and down and squeaking at her. Sayo let a small smile form on her face. “Good. Are you hungry? I think we deserve some rest and good food.” At the mention of food, Sayo thought about Lisa and her delicious curry. “Well...decent food.”

The two walked to the nearest inn, hoping to get some good rest before heading out in the morning.

* * *

After a good night’s rest, Sayo was ready to head back to Motostoke to face Kabu. They stopped at the Pokemon Center before leaving town, making sure to stock up on supplies. She tried to put Morpeko in a pokeball, but to no avail. It broke five of them, so Sayo had no choice but to give up.

As she exited the Pokemon Center, she heard someone call out to her. “Sayo!” It was none other than Lisa, who was running at her waving her hand. She had a few pieces of grass in her hair and on her clothes, Sayo could only guess she was training unless the other girl was the type to roll around in the grass. Sayo watched as Lisa’s foot randomly tripped on the sidewalk. Her instincts kicked in and she quickly moved to catch Lisa before she could fall. 

She caught Lisa in her arms, with the other girl’s head against Sayo’s chest. Sayo held her firmly in her arms, she didn’t want Lisa to get hurt. The brunette met Sayo’s gaze. “Are you alright?”

Lisa stared at her for a few seconds before finally answering with a slight blush on her cheeks, “I am now…”

Sayo helped the other girl up. Lisa kept her gaze on an unaware Sayo. “...Were you rolling around in the grass this morning?” Sayo asked, as she brushed off the grass in Lisa’s hair.

“N-No.” Lisa replied, face turning to a brighter red. Upon noticing Lisa’s blush, she noticed how close they were and how her hand instinctively tucked hair behind Lisa’s ear. Sayo’s own face burned and she quickly took her hand away.

Sayo cleared her throat, trying to fight the growing heat in her cheeks. “My apologies, um. Good luck today.”

“Thanks!” Lisa awkwardly laughed and the two stood in silence for a few seconds.

“Uh…”

“Um…”

“I should be going. See you around.” Sayo backed away, making sure to wave at Lisa before turning around and leaving for Motostoke. Whatever that weird instance was, Sayo had to ignore it. She had other things to worry about.

* * *

Sayo didn’t know how long she was in Galar Mine No.2 but she knew it was long enough to get her lost. She kept finding items on the ground, which definitely took her off the original path. Beside her, Morpeko tugged on her pants. It gave her a look of exhaustion. “We can rest after we get out of here.”

It climbed up Sayo’s leg and settled behind Sayo’s head. Perhaps having Morpeko on her shoulders would be better. Earlier it had unknowingly stepped on a Stunfisk because it looked like a pokeball, which led to Morpeko getting bitten. “I’ll allow you to stay up there for now, but don’t get too comfortable.”

A small squeak was heard and Sayo hummed in response. Their detour earned them a few pokeballs, potions, and TMs that would come in handy at a later point.

They eventually found their way back to the main path, avoiding the hiding Stunfisk along the way and continued to follow the rail cart tracks. Throughout their walk, Morpeko was squeaking and pointing at their surroundings. Sayo continued to hum in response. “You’re quite talkative today aren’t you?”

“Fufufu…” Sayo heard a weird laugh ahead. She quickened her pace and finally made it to the end of the rail cart tracks. At what she was assuming to be the exit of the mine, stood a small purple haired girl with twintails and some kind of goth looking outfit. She posed with one hand covering one side of her face, and the other holding her elbow. “A challenger approaches the Demon Princess…”

“What.”

“It is I, the Demon Princess Ako, who rules the dark - Aah!” The smaller girl yelled, pointing behind Sayo.

Sayo turned around to stare at a pile of rocks. Just like any other part of the mine. She furrowed her eyebrows and turned back to the smaller girl to trace the direction of her finger. It still ended up at the pile of rocks.

“It’s…! It’s a - that!” The smaller girl kept pointing at the rock. Sayo didn’t understand what was so special about it. It was the same as any other rock.

“It’s a rock.” Sayo replied, crossing her arms. “Now if you would move out of the way-”

“Ako’s gonna catch you! Mark Ako’s words!” She threw out a Grookey, who took out its stick and waved it around. 

“Okay have fun catching a rock-” Sayo’s eyes widened as the rock blinked. It had an orange eye and it _blinked_. “What is that?!”

“It’s gonna be Ako’s, that’s what!” The girl, Ako, pointed at it. “Use branch poke!”

Ignoring the battle going on between Ako and the rock, Sayo pulled out her Pokedex. After scanning the rock, the Pokedex revealed it to be a Rolycoly. When she looked up from the Pokedex, she watched as Ako threw a pokeball at the Rolycoly, which totally missed. She groaned and threw another. And another. _And another_.

Sayo sighed and massaged her templates. “...Just aim before you decide to throw.”

“O-Okay!” Ako nodded and took a deep breath. Rolycoly and Grookey had a staredown as Ako prepared to throw. “Pokeball..! Go!!”

The pokeball flew quickly from Ako’s hand, hitting the wall instead of the pokeball. It somehow ricocheted, hitting Sayo in the cheek. “Ouch!” She rubbed her cheek, “What’s with this…”

“Waah, I’m sorry!” Ako rushed over to Sayo. “Ako’s sorry!”

“...It’s fine. Please aim better. I can’t watch this anymore.”

“Urgh, okay!” Ako took another deep breath and Sayo sighed. She dug in her bag for a few seconds before looking at Sayo with a blank expression.

Sayo raised an eyebrow, “Well?”

“I ran out.”

“You ran out.” Sayo repeated.

“I ran out of pokeballs.” Ako stated. The Rolycoly rolled it’s one eye and floated away. “Noo! Come back!” Ako yelled.

“This is…” Sayo shook her head, letting her shoulders drop.

“Nooo!!” Ako fell to her knees and pounded the ground with a fist.

Sayo stood there awkwardly. “Uh...I should be leaving…” She quickly stepped back, as to not disturb Ako’s moment. This quickly ended, because her foot kicked a rock away, alerting Ako of Sayo’s escape.

“You’ve gotta help Ako!” The shorter girl quickly turned around.

“No-” Ako quickly crawled over and held onto Sayo’s leg. “Hey!”

“Please great being, help Ako!”

“Learn how to aim better!”

“Teach me!”

“Why - Urgh!” Sayo tried to pry herself from Ako’s grasp but it was no use. “Fine, fine!” Sayo sighed. “But let go of me.”

“Okay…” Ako slowly released Sayo from her grip, standing and dusting herself off. Sayo crossed her arms and turned in the direction of where the Rolycoly went.

“You should pick up the pokeballs that you threw. It would be a waste, they weren’t broken if I saw right.” Sayo pointed.

“Oh, right.” Ako replied. Both her and Grookey walked around picking up stray pokeballs. Sayo and Morpeko joined as well, pausing their Gym Challenge for a hopefully short moment.

“...So what’s your name?” Sayo asked, kneeling down and grabbing a pokeball. Morpeko quickly ran to Ako with one of its own.

“Demon Princess.” Sayo stared at her blankly until Ako looked down at the ground, “Ako Udagawa.”

“...Sayo Hikawa. Nice to meet you. Let’s hurry and collect these pokeballs so I can give you some pointers.”

* * *

Sayo balanced a few rocks on top of each other for a makeshift target. “The first thing I’m going to say is this. Don’t worry about being fancy. You don’t know how to throw in the first place so it’s no use.”

Ako dropped her head down in defeat, “Okay, Sayo-san…”

...Maybe that was too harsh. Sayo scratched her cheek. She didn’t mean to make Ako feel bad about herself. 

“...But don’t worry. With a little more practice you’ll be able to pull off any special throw you can come up with.” Sayo placed a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. “Don’t give up just yet.”

Ako’s face lit up, clearly surprised Sayo said such a nice thing. “O-Okay! Ako will work hard.”

“Good.” Sayo nodded. She motioned for the makeshift target, “Since you’re right handed, you should stand with your left foot forward and your shoulders in line with your opponent.”

“Right!”

“Focus on your target. Then bring the pokeball behind you.”

“Alright!”

“You need to be more in control. Don’t be so tense. Take a deep breath and push off the back foot as you start to throw.”

“Okay!”

“Then turn your body as you throw forward. Don’t lose your balance. Follow through until the end. Got it?”

“Got it!”

Sayo watched as Ako threw a pokeball up high in the air, falling a few feet short of the target. Ako whined while Sayo, Morpeko and Grookey watched. “Udagawa-san, you let go too early. That’s why it went so high up.”

“What the heck!” Ako clenched her fist. “Ako’s trying again!”

The next time, she threw straight ahead, but it hit to the left of the target.

She tried again, this time going right.

After that, Ako threw it lower so it bounced off the ground and hit the target. She turned to Sayo excitedly, who shook her head in response. “It doesn’t count.”

“Aw man!” She sighed. “What would Onee-chan do…”

Sayo flinched at the word “Onee-chan.”

“Ako’s got it!” The younger girl stuck a tongue out and readied herself to throw. She brought the pokeball back and yelled as she threw it.

“Soi soi soi - Soiyaaaa!”

Ako’s yelling scared a Wimpod out of its hiding place, and it ran in the direction of Ako’s pokeball. The pokeball successfully hit the Wimpod and sucked it into the pokeball. It landed on the ground and shook a few times before clicking, indicating that the Wimpod was caught.

All Sayo could do was stand and stare. The Wimpod was nowhere near the original target, but Ako ended up catching it. Beside her, Ako was jumping up and down.

“Yes! I hit the target, Sayo-san!” Ako cheered and Sayo stared at her.

“I...I guess…” Sayo replied, scratching her cheek. Ako happily walked over to her new Pokemon, and showed it to her Grookey. They both jumped up and down excitedly. 

“Isn’t this cool, Grookey?! I’ve never been able to catch one of these at home…”

Seeing how the other girl was excited about her successful catch, Sayo decided to let it go. Ako would get better in time. It wasn’t Sayo’s responsibility either way. She walked over to the younger girl and cleared her throat. “Well done, Udagawa-san.”

“Thanks for all your help!” Ako bowed to Sayo.

“It was nothing at all.” Sayo waved her hand. “Just...keep practicing.”

“Mm! I’ve gotta hurry and find that Rolycoly from earlier. Oh - and Rin-Rin! We got separated!”

“Rin-Rin…?” Sayo muttered. Ako and her Grookey turned to find the Rolycoly, and probably this Rin-Rin too.

“See ya later, Sayo-san! Next time we meet we gotta battle!”

* * *

Sayo returned to Motostoke shortly after her encounter with Ako. As soon as she entered the city, she went to the Gym. At the Gym, the person working the counter let Sayo know they were taking a two hour break before Kabu would continue Gym Battles for the day. Sayo had no choice but to find something to do in the meantime. She signed her name on the lineup sheet, under a “Minato Yukina” and left. On the way out, the Ball Guy handed her a Great Ball, and sent her off with his token smile.

Outside of the gym, Morpeko ran in front of Sayo and stopped her from moving. “What’s the matter?”

It patted it’s stomach a few times and gestured to its mouth.

“Ah. I suppose we haven’t had anything to eat for a few hours. Let’s look for someplace to eat, then get a few training rounds in.”

It nodded in appreciation, and ran ahead. “Woah, don’t go too far.”

Sayo let Morpeko drag her around the city. She watched as it ran down the main street, stopping and looking in each of the shop’s windows.

It stopped outside of the clothing store, and pointed at one of the hats in the window.

“You can’t eat hats, Morpeko.”

It pointed again, clearly wanting to go inside.

“No, we have things to do. I thought you were hungry.”

It angrily squeaked, switching to Hangry and back to Full Belly, before running over to another part of the street. Morpeko stopped and pointed at one of the shops near the Pokemon Center. It was indeed a cafe, but it was the _Battle_ Cafe. Sayo raised her eyebrows, “...Can Pokemon read?”

* * *

After earning a delicious meal from the Battle Cafe, Sayo and her team ventured back into the Wild Area. Within the first few minutes of entering the Wild Area, Sayo spotted a familiar face. She watched as Yukina stood alone, seemingly staring at something. Sayo made a quiet approach, careful not to disturb...whatever she was doing. “Minato-san…?” Sayo asked.

Yukina turned to her and put a finger over her mouth, with a soft “Shh.” She motioned toward the tall grass.

In the tall grass, Sayo could see brown cat ears popping out. So Yukina had been staring at a Pokemon this whole time. “What is it?” Sayo whispered. Yukina merely shrugged.

“It hasn’t moved for some time now. I’m going to throw a pokeball at it.” She took out a pokeball and tiptoed close enough to make a throw that wouldn’t miss. Sayo took this opportunity to take out her Pokedex and find out what it was.

But when she tried to scan the Pokemon, nothing came up. She tapped it a few times, and the Rotom’s face frowned at her. “Sorry.” She muttered, putting it away. “I’ll have to ask Professor Sonia to take a look…”

Yukina finally threw her pokeball, but instead of it being caught, it fell to the side.

“Owie!”

The “Pokemon” yelped, and revealed itself to be a human girl. A tired looking human girl at that. She noticed the pokeball at her side and took turns glancing at both Sayo and Yukina.

“Ehhh?! I’m - I’m not a Pokemon!”

“...Sorry.” Yukina mumbled. “You looked like a cat Pokemon so…”

“Wait a second!” The girl pointed at Yukina. “You’re the Shiny Roselia user! And you,” She then pointed at Sayo, “You’re the uh…”

Sayo raised an eyebrow.

“The uhhhhh….”

Sayo sighed. Perhaps she had not made a huge impact so far in the Gym Challenge, but it was still early on. “Sayo Hikawa.”

“Sayo-san!” The girl basically had stars in her eyes, looking at both Sayo and Yukina like they were some sort of celebrities. Sayo was surprised the girl looked at her like that, despite not saying anything about her Pokemon team.

“Nevermind that, but I find it amazing that you weren’t attacked during your sleep...in the tall grass.” Yukina held her chin, gazing at the girl.

“Why were you even sleeping there in the first place?” Sayo placed a hand on her hip, awaiting an answer from the strange girl.

She let out a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of her head, “I saw something shiny on the ground! But then I got super comfy and just closed my eyes.”

“I see…” Yukina sighed, and turned away. “I should be leaving. Matches will be starting up again soon. I need to be prepared.”

“Wait wait!” The girl quickly ran in front of Yukina, stopping her from moving. “Show me your Roselia! I’ve never seen a shiny up close!”

“Are you challenging me to a battle? If so, then it will make up for the fact that you are not a real cat.”

“Ehh!?”

Yukina didn’t hesitate throwing out her Shiny Roselia. The girl gasped and got closer to inspect it. “It’s purple and black! It’s really giving me a kira kira doki doki feeling!”

“A what?” Yukina raised both of her eyebrows.

Feeling the same kind of aura she got from Ako, Sayo decided she leave the two to their own devices. Sayo and Morpeko made eye contact and nodded, deciding to slowly back away in silence. The strange girl had all of Yukina’s attention, and vice versa. Perfect.

Sayo and Morpeko were able to slip away unnoticed. They still had plenty of time left before matches would start back up again, so she decided she would train her team up. With Kabu being a fire type Gym Leader, Empoleon would most likely sweep his team. She needed to keep in mind what was ahead. After Kabu, she would either have to fight Bea, or Allister. It wouldn’t be decided until then, but it was best to be prepared.

* * *

After a few practice rounds against Wild Pokemon, Sayo’s Rookidee evolved into a Corvisquire. All of her Pokemon got a chance to practice in the Wild Area before the Gym match. At the moment, Empoleon getting ready for the match was most important. Empoleon was her strongest and most trusted, they had to be in sync for this battle. Feeling satisfied with her team’s progress, she decided to take one last trip to the Pokemon Center before the Gym match.

With a fully healed team and stocked bag, Sayo was ready to take on Motostoke’s Kabu. Empoleon and her would have no issues with his team.

When she returned to the Gym, familiar faces were waiting. Lisa and Ako were standing around inside chatting with each other.

“Sayo!” Lisa called out for her excitedly. She waved her over to join the two.

“Sayo-san?! You know her too?!” Ako yelled, looking at the two older girls.

“Wait Ako, you know Sayo too?!”

Sayo sighed, walking over. “Why must you two yell? We’re right next to each other.”

“Sorry sorry~”

“Ah, sorry Sayo-san.” After the two settled down, Ako did that weird pose from the mine. “Ako is going to win in today’s battle, and then! Ako shall challenge Sayo-san and Lisa-nee to a Pokemon battle!”

“You hear that Sayo? Ako’s gonna challenge us at the same time.” Lisa teased.

“Wait no-”

“I hear you. Very well, Udagawa-san, if that’s what you wish.” Sayo nodded, watching Ako shake her head.

“No wait! How about we do a double battle! I’ll ask Rin-Rin to battle with me and - Rin-Rin?” Ako scanned around the room, looking for this Rin-Rin. She looked behind Sayo and Lisa, behind some other people, under a table, but this person was nowhere to be found. “Rin-Rin’s gone again! I’ve gotta find her!” Without another word, Ako left the two older girls alone.

Sayo cleared her throat and turned to Lisa, “I’m glad you made it.”

“Aw really?” Lisa covered her mouth in a teasing manner, “You’re going to make me blush you know~”

“What-” Sayo’s face quickly flushed, “I mean - I’m assuming all went well back in Hulbury. That’s - That’s what I meant. I’m glad you can continue your Gym Challenge.” She turned slightly to look at anything but the girl in front of her.

Sayo could hear Lisa giggling. “Thank you, that’s very sweet of you~” She was far too embarrassed now. And warm. Sayo internally cursed herself out. How she was so easily embarrassed, she would never know. All Sayo could think about was getting out of there and into the Gym Battle.

Luckily for her, the intercom was turned on and a voice rang throughout the Gym.

“Attention, challengers. We will now be resuming Gym Battles for the day. Those who are listed on the display, please make your way to the locker rooms.”

“Looks like you’re up already.” Lisa put her hands behind her back and smiled, “Good luck!”

Sayo cleared her throat, “Thank you Imai-san.”

“And you too, Morpeko.” Lisa waved down at the Pokemon. It squeaked and hit it’s stomach lightly a few times.

“Actually,” Sayo looked down at Morpeko and back at Lisa, “Would you mind if Morpeko stayed with you? I won’t be using Morpeko during this battle.”

“Eh? Really?” Lisa asked, surprised to see her bench such a loyal and strong Pokemon.

“Yes.” Sayo nodded. “It doesn’t like being in a pokeball.”

“I don’t mind but…” Lisa turned to Morpeko. Sayo turned as well, looking at the small Pokemon. It looked down and shook its head, walking over to Lisa’s feet. “It’s so sad Sayo.”

“You’ll be okay with Imai-san. Sometimes there are battles you must sit out.” Sayo kneeled to pet the top of it’s head, before standing back up. “I’ll be back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be fun!
> 
> I'd like to thank my friend @shadtistic on twitter (also @Shouyaki on ao3) for beta reading my work! Also @hildarianne for helping me come up with the girl's teams!

**Author's Note:**

> run in here and come get y'all juice
> 
> haven't posted anything in a long time, lemme know what you think >:) twitter: @sayolisas


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